


Rogue

by LuluApollo



Series: Rogue [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Dean Whump, Hurt Dean Winchester, Werewolf Dean Winchester, Werewolves, Wolf Dean
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-15
Updated: 2015-06-13
Packaged: 2018-02-25 11:36:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 22,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2620331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuluApollo/pseuds/LuluApollo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam, John and Bobby all believe that Dean was killed at the age of 16 by a werewolf, but they're on a hunt when a golden wolf might prove them wrong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_Oh, hell, he was so screwed. Why the hell had he gotten so close? And watched them for so long?_ Dean knew the answers to these questions, and the answer was simple they were his family. Family or not, they'd sooner kill his sorry arse rather then look at him.

Dean's legs ate up the dirt beneath him. He sped through the forest weaving in and out of trees. Dean was fast, but his family had guns. The blast rang out in the forest, and white hot pain erupted in his left ear. Dean couldn't help but yelp from the pain. The flesh on his ear sizzled and burned, _fucking silver bullets_. He shook his head back, and fro trying to rid himself of the burning. Suddenly, a traitorous tree root snagged his front foot. Dean ate the dirt hard, his body twisting over itself leaving him facing the brother he was running from.

The look Sam was giving Dean scared the shit out of Dean. Sam was sucking in lung full of air, desperate to get his breath back from the chase. His eyes burned into Dean and such hatred was written across his face that Dean flinched. Sam's gun was trained on Dean. _Well, this is it. Sam was going to kill him then Sam would learn the truth and that in turn would kill Sam._ Well, if Dean was going too died, he was going to face it like a man. Forcing himself off the ground, Dean gritted his teeth as he put weight on his front, right leg. Well he would be lucky if he hadn't broken it, but that really didn't matter. As Dean forced himself to full height, he tried to say goodbye to Sammy, express just how sorry he was that Sam would be the one to kill him and tell him he loved him all with his eyes. Sam, brow furrowed, but whatever thoughts cross through Sam mind was quickly replaced with anger again. Dean watched as Sam sucked in a deep breath, squaring his shoulders aiming the gun at Dean’s heart. Without even realising it Dean backs up slightly, subconsciously trying to get away from Sam. Gaining time, so his Dad or Bobby could catch up and Sam wouldn't bear the guilt of his death. In doing so, his back leg started to slip off the cliff edge, and as Sam fired, Dean's feet slipped completely off the cliff. His body dropped enough so that the bullet ripped through his shoulder instead of his heart. However, the shock of the silver entering his body was enough to cause Dean to lose his grip in the dirt. 

Dean fell from the cliff, and the ground claimed his body once again, and darkness entered Dean's mind. Dean was just pleased that Sam hadn't delivered the killing shot; whatever remained of his brother's innocence was safe for now.


	2. Chapter 2

Sam scanned the forest for any signs of the wolf. The trail had become cold hours ago, which didn't make sense. All the evidences pointed towards been a werewolf in the area and when Sam, John, and Bobby arrived in the woods the hunt was on. That was true until two hours ago when suddenly it was like the wolf just disappeared off the face of the Earth.

John was bristling and Sam did not blame him. If they didn't get this wolf tonight, they would have a long wait until the next full moon. It was now or never, especially when the moon was about to set in less than an hour.

Ten years, ten long years since John became obsessed with werewolf hunting, and Sam lost all desire to have a normal life. The pain though was still as real as the day they burnt Deans mangle body. Sam pushed aside thoughts of that day, now was not the time to dwell on the past.

The moon was still proving enough light to see by. It would have been truly beautiful if not for the situation. Sam turned to see where his Dad and Bobby were. He spotted Johns dark shadow behind him to his left, which would mean Bobby would be somewhere to his right. John never really let's Sam out of his sight on hunts, not since Dean. 

As Sam turn back to look for any signs of the wolf, a flash of gold caught his attention on top of the rise. Climbing up the rise, Sam scanned the area when he reached the top. At first all Sam saw was trees. As he looked around, he could not find anything that would explain the gold he saw. A slight snap of a twig alerted Sam to his left. There, almost hidden in the shadows was a huge golden wolf frozen in a crouch position staring down at the stick that gave away his escape. The wolf looked back at Sam, its green eyes glowing in the night before it took off at a run.

"Dad. Bobby. The wolf is up here." Sam yelled before he took off after it.

Sam sped through the woods after the golden wolf. It was fast, weaving and ducking through the trees. Sam drew his gun and fired a silver bullet at the wolf. A yip told him he had hit his mark. Suddenly, the wolf went down in front of Sam tumbling over itself. Blood pouring down its face, staining its fur. A perfect half circle was cut into the wolf’s left ear from the bullet, and Sam couldn't help but feel please about causing it pain.

Sucking in deep breaths Sam steadied his gun as the wolf began to drag itself off the ground. Sam knew he had to fire before the wolf had a chance to lunge at him or escape, but something made him pause. It was the look on the beast’s face. There was something in its eyes, so scarily familiar. Sam pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the fact that a wolf, just like this, killed Dean. He aimed his gun at the beast’s heart and pulled the trigger.

In a case of dumb luck the wolf slipped at that moment then proceeded to fall off the cliff. Sam stared in disbelief. _What the hell?_ He couldn't even be sure if he hit his mark.

Sam heard the wolf hit the ground below. He quickly looked over the edge of the cliff, hoping to see a human corpse below.

"Son of a Bitch!" yelled Sam. It was barely visible due to the overhang of the cliff, but the back half of a wolf lay on the ground below.

"Sam?" yelled John after hearing Sam swore.

"Over here Dad."

John and Bobby came through the trees to where Sam stood on the cliff, both panting hard.

"Where's the wolf?" questioned John. All Sam could do was point down off the cliff.

"Dead?" Sam just shook his head.

"Son of a Bitch!" John said as he looked over the edge at what he could see of the wolf. It wasn't moving, but it hadn't changed back to human. So, it was unconscious. _Damn it._ "Okay, we'll have to head back down and head around the base of the cliff, as we can't get off a clean shot from up here."

Sam just nodded before following his dad and Bobby back the way they came at a jog. He could not get that wolf's face out of his head. There was just something about its eyes. Whatever it was gave Sam a leaden feeling in his stomach.


	3. Chapter 3

Dean came back to himself slowly. Smell was the first to return. A deep rich earthy smell filled his nose. Next was hearing. Crickets chirped around him, leaves rustled above him. Dean could hear the sounds of heavy breathing, the thump of feet on ground and the beats of heart's pumping blood to limbs. Finally, it was pain. Dean’s eyes flashed open as he suddenly became very aware of his injuries.

Breathing now hurt so definitely broken ribs. If he hadn't broken his right front leg before there was no question that it was broken now. His left shoulder felt like someone had poured liquid acid through it. His head thumped along to the rhythm of his heart.

 _There’s no rest for the wicked._ Dean smirked at the thought. The footsteps he'd heard were heading away from him along the top of the cliff. So, his family were heading back down the rise to reach him at the base that gave him maybe a ten minute head start. Dean could work with that, but first he had to get his lazy arse off the ground.

Dean shifted so his back legs were under him. Gritting his teeth through the pain Dean dragged himself up on three legs. His right leg hung loosely in front of him. _Well, that hurt like a bitch._ He thought as he breathed through the wave of pain rippling through his body. He'd just have to work through the pain; he had a job to do. The pack’s camp was too close for his liking. He had to lead his Dad, Sam and Bobby away from them. This was his stupid fault. The pack was hunting for a wolf that had been killing people in the area, and he had offered to keep the hunters busy. If it was any other hunters than them he would have done his job and left, but he had stayed too long, gotten too close, hell he even gave his damn position away. _Damn stick._ He should have outrun them easily, but he was distracted, and he didn't see the root.

Sucking in a deep breath, Dean took a step forward. His shoulder burned like it was on fire, but the leg functioned as well as he could hope for, he was lucky. It hadn't hit bone or any major muscles, so he wasn't lame in it like he was with the right leg. Dean stumbled forward slowly. He was just focusing on getting one foot in front of the other and just concentrating on not falling on to his face. Soon, he was moving at a slow jog. Every breath felt like someone was stabbing him, every impact through his left shoulder lit fire through it. Dean could put all these things aside and focus on moving forward at a good rate. Every so often he would brush against a tree, disturbing the bark and leaving fur behind, or make a nice claw mark into the earth. Just to provide his family with an easy trail to follow, so that when he did his disappearing act it may take them longer to find his real trail.

Dean's skin started to prickle. He felt like ants were crawling under his skin. The moon was beginning to set. He did not have to look to know it was happening. Dean reckoned if he closed his eyes and spun around a hundred times he could still point out where the full moon was in the sky. There was just something about the force transformation of the full moon. He willed that moon to hurry up and set. Though when it did, he didn't have to transform straight back to his human form, however Dean was certain he would be quicker on two legs. Sam, John and Bobby had slowly gained on Dean over the last half an hour. He couldn't hear them yet, but the wind was bringing the first hints of their scent.

The moon finally answered Dean’s prayers and gave up the night sky to the stars. As soon as the last tip of the moon disappeared beyond the horizon Dean began to change. Dean stop dead in his tracks as his body transformed. Muscles began to ripple and shrink; bones began to alter their shape. His jaw shortened and teeth became blunted. Dean couldn't hold back the howl that erupted from him as his broken bones shifted against each other as they changed. The cries soon turned human, and Dean was left gasping on the ground. His muscles pulsed like he had run miles, but there was no time to recover. Wrapping his left arm around his injured ribs, Dean took off in a run.

It didn't take long to make it to where Dean planned his disappearing act. A stream cut its way through the forest, winding its way to Dean's freedom. He stopped at the edge of the stream and prepared to jump. However, instead of jumping into the stream Dean jumped up into the trees above him. Deans heighten agility was the only thing that saved him from falling straight back out of the tree.

Taking deep breaths Dean worked on lowering his respiration rate. It would be completely pointless if his Dad, Sam and Bobby showed up, and he gave his location away because he was breathing heavily. Without the moon he was safely hidden in the branches. Soon he was taking even breaths; it was just in time as he heard the labour breathing of his family approaching. Bobby was first scanning the path for his trail. John was guarding his back, gun drawn and searching for Dean. Sam was bringing up the rear. They reach the stream and saw the mark Dean left from jumping. They seemed to assume what he had hoped they would, that he had jumped into the stream to hide his tracks. John and Bobby stood there for a while signalling each other. Dean remembered his training well enough to know they were arguing if he went up or down stream. They quickly came to the decision to split, Bobby heading upstream, and John and Sam heading down. John let Bobby know with quick jesters of his hands that they had 30 minutes if they didn't hear shots they were to meet back here to regroup, and with that they were off running again scanning the banks for signs of Dean.

As soon as they were out of sight, Dean dropped out of the tree. He bit back a cry from jarring his ribs due to the impact. Dean headed back the way he came, making sure not to leave a trail this time. He now headed for the pack’s camp. He had to get to the pack and warn them. They were leaving these woods as soon as possible. _Please_ , thought Dean, _let them to have killed the rogue wolf in the area._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dean is 26 years old in this story, was attack when he was 16. Sam is 22 years old, he was 12 when Dean was attack.


	4. Chapter 4

Dean jogged through the darkness of the woods. The breeze cooled the sweat covering his skin, causing him to shiver despite how hot he felt. Dean was pretty sure that he was close enough that a scout would hear him if he called. A whistle left Dean's lip, a simple bird call. Now he just had to hope one of the scouts was close enough. He didn't have to wait long.

A soft rustle was all that gave away the approach of a large grey wolf. The smoke grey wolf was tall, but didn't have the bulk of Dean's wolf. It was sleek, built for speed. The wolf lowered its head and let out a whine as it saw Dean. It came forward and gently smelt Dean's right arm, before smelling his ribs. Finally, it lifted its nose to smell the scent coming from Dean's shoulder and ear. Sneezing as it smelt the burn of silver. The wolf let out a little growl as it looked back the way Dean came before it turning its attention back to Dean.

"Hey Kit," spoke Dean, his voice sounding ruff to his ears. He let his left hand just brush under the wolf's chin in greeting. Dean couldn't help the small smile as he looked at this wolf. In his human form the wolf was a skinny, twenty year old man that reminded Dean so much of Sam. Kit's family had been attack by a werewolf when camping eight years ago. Dean and the pack hadn't been fast enough to save Kit's parents, but Dean had been able to kill the wolf and then taken the twelve year old Kit under his wing. Kit in away was Dean's replacement for Sammy. He had been such a small kid, with a mop of blond hair and an eagerness to learn that Dean had seen in Sam.

The wolf whined again at Dean. "Yeah, yeah, I know I look awesome," Dean joke to Kit. To say the wolf looked unimpressed was an understatement. "I'm fine. I need you to run back to the camp a let them know I couldn't shake the hunters. We have thirty minutes to pack up and get out."

Kit just stared at Dean like he was going to try and carry him back. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine, it just looks worst then it is. Now go, we need speed Kit." Dean waved the wolf off. Kit paused looking Dean over once more before he let out a huff and ran off towards the camp.

Dean watched the wolf silently slip through the woods. Sucking in a deep breath Dean followed a little less silently. A random thought popped into his head of his Dad turning up right now and seeing him. Dean had to laugh, though it was slightly manic laughter. It was just the look he could picture on his Dad's face at seeing his long lost son walking through the woods completely buck naked. His laughter was short lived though when his thought turned to Sam. _God that kid had grown._ Dean could still see that little kid with floppy hair when he thought of Sam. He nearly had a heart attack when he was watching his Dad and heard him call for Sam and the giant who was now his brother answered. Though even when he looked at the man Sam had become he could still make links back to his Sammy. Same stupid floppy hair, same serious look, but one thing was certain, Sam had definitely taken after their dad and become a hunter. For some reason that sadden Dean.

He pushed those thoughts aside as he caught the first glimpse of the camp in the dawn light. The camp was abuzz with activity, wolves and humans rushed around packing up tents and loading trucks. Many stole glances at Dean as he entered the camp, but none approached. They all would have heard by now that hunters were on their way and the condition Dean was in. So Dean headed to the only tent that was still standing, the Infirmary. He remembered when he first arrived with the pack; he had been so self-conscious about becoming naked after the change. He had gone through so many pairs of pants because he couldn't bring himself to change into a wolf completely naked, and he would only change back once he was inside his tent. When he had finally started to accept what he had become was when he stopped been ashamed of the change.

As Dean approached the infirmary tent he seriously considered not going in, but he knew the Doc would just hunt him down no matter where he went.

"Dean! Get in here now," Dean silently swore when he heard the Alpha voice. How did he always know when Dean considered doing something stupid? Lifting back the flap Dean entered the tent. It was a sterile tent, medical supplies lining the tables along the walls and a clean metal table was in the centre of the room, with all the lights focus on it. Doc, or Doctor Lewis James, stood by the table motioning for Dean to take a seat on it.

"I hear you had some trouble with the hunters," Doc paused as he looked over Dean's injuries. "Was it them?"

Dean knew Doc was referring to his family, because Doc knew it could only be them that would of cause Dean to lose sight of the hunt, allowing him to be found out. Dean was just too good. If he didn't want a hunter to know he was there then he was invisible to them. All Dean could do was nod. Doc nodded in return, but he wore a pained expression. A few minutes passed silently as Doc prodded Dean's injuries.

"Most of your injuries are healing fine, but that arm needs to be set soon so it heals straight and I'll wrap those ribs as well." Doc spoke as he headed around the tent collecting what he needed. It was stocked with nearly everything medical the pack would ever need thanks to friends in clinics around the country. Returning with plaster and bandages Doc stared at Dean as he set everything up. His face was hard as he looked at Dean like he was a puzzle. Shaking his head Doc asked the question he already knew the answer to. "You're not coming with us when we leave?"

"Did you get the rogue wolf?" Dean avoided answering Doc's question by asking one of his own.

"No, he slipped through our net again, but we will get him if his pattern holds true. Now that he's been found out he'll move on to the next suitable hunting ground." Dean just nodded. "You're still not coming with us Dean?"

"No I'm not," Dean answered sucking in a deep breath. "They'll keep looking for the wolf here. I can't run the risk, what if he doesn't follow the pattern this time? It's a game to this wolf, he enjoys us hunting him, enjoys the challenge. There are hunters involved now, what if he wants to test himself with them?"

"If you need us Dean, just give us a call." Doc finished before preparing to set Dean's bones.

Dean sat silently as the Doctor worked. Only flinching when he straighten Dean's arm. The Doctor was good at what he did, having years of experience as an army field doctor before becoming a wolf. Dean however, was lost in his own thought of his family and the danger that now possibly faced them if the rogue wolf had decided to hunt them.


	5. Chapter 5

John entered Bobby's slamming the door behind him. They had searched for the wolf long after the sun had risen, with no luck. Now they had to wait a whole month for the next full moon to find the wolf again. God John hated this, that damn wolf had played them. It just didn't make sense; the werewolf should have attacked them, that’s how it worked, instead of running away from them. Wolves did not sneak around and just watch hunters. They had back track to where they first spotted the wolf, there was evident that the wolf had been watching them for a long-time before they actually sighted the bastard.

John walked straight through Bobby's house. He passed Sam and Bobby on his way, who had headed straight to continue researching. John grabbed a gun and a six pack from the fridge, and headed straight out the back into the junkyard. He was looking for a nice old rust bucket to take his frustration out on. Bobby's had become Sam's and his second home over the last few years. Dean’s death had broken John. He had somehow held it together enough to give his son a hunter's funeral, and then he had taken his remaining boy to Bobby's, before he'd allowed his walls to crumble. John then went on a hunting bender, killing everything supernatural that dare to show its head, he wasn't proud of those days. He had lost sight of what was important, his remaining son. It had taken Bobby finding his arse and hauling him back to Sam to snap him back to reality. Sam was hurting and John hadn't really seen that through his own grief. So, he swore he wouldn't do that to him again; he would protect Sam where he'd failed Dean.

An hour later John had run out of bullets and alcohol. He thought it would be a good time to check on Sam and Bobby. Returning to the house John found them both in the kitchen eating sandwiches. A plate was set aside for John with a turkey sandwich sitting on it. John sat down with a sad smile; his youngest had taken on Dean's habit of acting like the parent in their relationship.

They ate silently, but as soon as they had finished Bobby turned on John. "So have you finished blasting holes in my property? Because me and Sam have been discussing this wolf."

"You had to see that it wasn't like the normal werewolves we hunt Dad. It didn't even try to attack us, and how much opportunity did it have to do so when we didn't even know it was there? And when we did find it, it ran. Hell, when I had it back up on the cliff it didn't even attack me to save itself. Where's the wild animal behaviour?"

"A werewolf is a werewolf Sam, no matter how weird it acts. We will hunt it down and kill it like we always do. It does not matter how it acted." John was angry. Of course Sam and Bobby would get distracted from killing the wolf because it acted weird.

"There is a chance that it is a shape shifter John. The way it acted we can't rule it out. Why a shape shifter would become a werewolf I have no clue." Bobby reasoned. "Fine, we will prepare for both of them just in case. We'll look into people who could be a possible werewolf or a shape shifter." John just wanted them to get off his back. Sam would be happiest researching and it would give them something to do for a month. God damn he wished they had killed that wolf last night.

  


The month seemed to drag on for John. They stayed at Bobby's, as it was an hour from the woods where the attacks had occurred. So, John and Sam divided their time between researching at Bobby's and the town library, and going back to the woods. With all their work they were still no closer to finding the werewolf or shifter. To John the shape shifter theory just didn't fit. All the evidence pointed towards a wolf, but due to the golden wolf’s behaviour Sam and John were researching around the clock.

Something still didn't sit right for John. He felt like he was missing something, but he just couldn't work out what. Adding to that, John could not shake the feeling that he and Sam were been watched. He couldn't explain it. It started about two days after they got back from the woods. He had been sitting in Bobby's kitchen drinking coffee, when the hairs on the back of his neck all stood up. He had the feeling someone was watching him. However, when he looked out the window all he saw was old wrecks and Bobby's Rottweiler sitting at the base of a tree. The fact that the dog wasn’t barking eased John somewhat, but also that Bobby had enough traps to catch anything supernatural entering the yard. John still grabbed a gun filled with silver bullets off the counter and headed outside to have a look around, but he found nothing. There were no signs that anyone was out there, however the feeling remained. As the days passed John experienced the same feeling again and again; back in the woods, when he and Sam were at the library and around the town, but he could never find the source.

Five days before the full moon was due to rise, John and Sam were sitting in a local diner having lunch. They were planning on heading back to the woods later in the afternoon; to have another scout around and finalise the plan for the full moon. Bobby was back at his place melting silver into bullets. John sat with his back to the wall, facing the front door watching the whole place. The diner’s door open and John watched as a young man entered. He had the hood of his jumper pulled up over his head. The way he was looking down at the ground, as he made his way through the diner, prevented John from seeing his face. The man made straight for the counter, sitting down near John and Sam with his back facing them. John took in the sight of this man. He watched as the man placed an order of coffee and a rare burger with extra onions. The man kept his shoulders hunched, as if trying to make himself seem smaller, but he wasn't small. There was a hidden strength in him. John could even make out the lean muscle of his back through his jumper. When the man's food finally arrived John notice his right arm was broken. _Why haven't he noticed that when he’d walked in?_ The man hid his weakness well. John's gut was trying to tell him something about this man, but he couldn't work it out. He just kept staring at the man’s back. He couldn't stop himself, he watched as the man started to squirm in his seat. It wasn't like the warning in his gut John sometime felt around supernatural creatures, it was something else. Like his body was trying to tell him something, but his mind just couldn't catch up.

John hadn't even realised Sam was talking to him until he touched him on his shoulder, startling John out of his musing.

"Are you okay Dad?" John just nodded to Sam’s question. "Well if we want to look around the woods again, before it gets dark, then we need to go now."

"Let's go." John pushed himself out of the chair and headed for the diner door. He spared one glance back to the man, who was now asking for his bill, his burger virtually untouched. He would try to find the man again when Sam wasn't with him. Sam himself was now staring back at the young man, who was still facing away from them. John would figure out what the man had to hide. He just couldn't shake the feeling that he should know this man. First though, there was hunting to be done.


	6. Chapter 6

Dean lent on the hood of an old ford, as he watched as the pack disappeared up the road. They were off to hunt down the rogue wolf; Dean was staying behind to track the hunters. _Yeah, he was a clever wolf._ Dean thought sarcastically. He was confident that the wolf would not be returning to the woods for a while, after been chased by the pack the night before. So, his family was safe for the time been.

After some snooping around the local motel, Dean quickly figured out that his Dad and Sam were staying at Bobby's. It had surprised him to see Bobby Singer hunting with his Dad. As the last time Dean remembered seeing Bobby, John and him had had a huge fight which resulted in Dean and Sam been packed back into the Impala and heading right on to the next town over. Things had change then, Dean wondered if his fake death had something to do with that.

Dean knew his family thought he was dead. Doc had told him that they had been hunting the same wolf that John and Dean had been after the night he was bitten. The pack hadn't been fast enough to save Dean, but they did kill the wolf. It turned out the wolf was an eighteen year old boy. The boy's body was so torn up after the fight that he was unrecognisable. Dean had been unconscious from blood loss, but Doc had later told him, that he had quickly made the decision to dress the body in the ruins of Dean's clothes. Doc had known Dean was a hunter. He had known that Dean stood no chance in the hunter’s world that his only hope was with the pack.

Dean now knew that wolves were not all like what hunters believed them to be. There seem to be three types. The first was sub-conscious wolves, these were normally people who never knew they were werewolves, the transformation usually happen when they were asleep and they did not remember it afterward. These were the most common werewolves hunters hunted. It was a wolf like this that attacked Dean. The poor sons of bitches have no clue what they were doing they just acted on wild instincts, but that made them more dangerous. The second types of wolves were the ones like Dean. They were wolves only really in appearance. They could transform at will into their wolf form, but they retained their humanity. Most of these types of wolves lived very normal lives with no-one been the wiser. There are some like the pack Dean lived with that used their abilities to hunt down dangerous wolves. The final types were the rogue wolves. These were the truly dangerous werewolves. They could transform whenever they liked and they had complete control during the transformation, though they had no regard for human life. They were normally wolves that had gone crazy, or wolves who when they were human had no real regarded for human life to begin with. The wolf Dean's pack was hunting at the moment seemed to think everything was a game. He was always looking for the next hunt, the next challenge. They'd worked out that he rarely became human as he was stronger, faster and more deadly as a wolf. He was the reason why Dean was so concern for his family.

Dean headed toward the gas station. He needed food; his stomach was trying to eat itself. He also needed sleep. His arm was a constant throb and the bandages around his chest restricted his breathing. _God, he would love for some painkillers right now._ There was no point in Dean taken them though; his metabolism was so fast that they would burn through his system before having any effect. Grabbing an array of chocolates and chips, Dean then grabbed some water and packaged sandwiches from the fridge. Ignoring the look the cashier gave him as he paid, Dean headed straight for the old ford. He couldn't sleep in the ford, not with his ribs. So he headed back to the motel and booked in for the night. He had already eaten most of his food before making it to his room. Shoving another sandwich and chocolate bar into his mouth Dean made his way over to the bed. Collapsing into it he was soon fast asleep.

Dean slept right through to the next day. Once he woke, he quickly packed up and headed on to Singer's Salvage. Sitting in the old ford out the front of Bobby's place, Dean fought the urge to climb the fence and get closer, to see his family. He knew he couldn't though. As soon as his father saw him John Winchester would have to kill him. Dean was a monster whether he liked it or not. Nothing he could do would change that short of killing himself. Dean however couldn't just kill himself; it was the coward’s way out. So, he had taken to killing as many evil sons of bitches as he could. If he died in a fight, well then there was just going to be one less monster anyway.

After having a very uncomfortable night in the car, and seeing no signs of his family, Dean had had enough. He'd have to be careful of any traps Bobby had laid around the yard, but Dean could not be this close and not at least see them. The fence proved a bit of a problem for Dean due to his ribs and arm. He healed faster than most humans, even faster when he was a wolf, but it would still be a couple of weeks before either healed completely. Very carefully Dean eased himself up the fence been very mindful of his arm; however it was the drop over that he was worried about. No matter how hard he tried not to, Dean still jarred his ribs as he drop to the ground. He spent a few minutes trying to breathe through the pain. God, he hoped the breaks in his rib bones were still in line. If any of his bones didn't heal perfect the transformation into a wolf was going to hurt.

As Dean regained his breath he heard the soft padding of paws on dirt. When he glanced up Bobby's Rottweiler was sitting staring at him as if deciding if Dean was friend or foe. It was a miracle the dog hadn't barked first, but after staring back at the dog for a while it seemed to decide that Dean was friend. The dog came up to Dean and began to lick him. That was one of the weird things about been a werewolf, dogs seem too automatically except Dean and follow him. Patting the Dean stood and gestured to the dog to walk on. "Lead on Fido." Dean told the dog.

The dog weaved through the old rusty cars easily. Dean followed keeping low and watching out for any traps. When they began to near the house, Dean spotted a tree that would give him the perfect view of the house but remain hidden. He quickly made his way up the tree and the dog settle down at the base. It wasn't long before he spotted his father. He looked older than Dean remembered, but still as scary as a grizzly. Dean smiled at the image of his father drinking coffee at Bobby's kitchen table. He was staring at the wood of the table in such a way that it should have burst into flames by now. Suddenly, John was up out of his chair and staring out the window. Dean tensed in the tree, had he somehow done something alerting his Dad? John's eyes scanned the yard; they paused for a second on the tree where Dean was perched, he actually forgot how to breathe, but then John just continued to scan the rest of the yard. As Dean watched, his father armed himself and came out into the yard in search of whatever had spooked him. Dean couldn't believe he had been so dumb. Of course his Dad would realised he was being watched, years of hunting had honed John senses. It was either you know when something was watching you or be dead. Dean had to be better so that he could protect his family from the rogue wolf.

So Dean became more careful about watching his family. He did not venture into Bobby's yard again. However, he did watch them at every other chance he got. He followed Sam to the library, and would sit in the back corner pretending to read, as he listened to Sam scroll through old newspapers. He would smell when his Dad would enter the library, returning to pick up Sam after he'd interviewed suspects or witnesses. Dean had no problem choosing who to follow when his Dad and Sam split up. He could almost hear his Dad, "Dean, look after your brother." So the choice was already made. Sometimes, even Bobby would come with them, but Bobby and his Dad could look after themselves, Dean needed to watch out for Sam. He'd even followed his Dad and Sam back to the woods a few times. That was when he was the most nervous. He would follow them as close as he dare, just in case that rogue wolf decided to show up. Dean still couldn't risk a shift. The bones in his arm and ribs were still not completely healed, but if his family were in danger Dean would willingly re-break his bones if it meant saving them.

This was how Dean spent most of the month, never really getting closed enough to his family to be seen by them, but always near them. It was five days before the full moon and Dean was on edge. He knew that his brother and father would be planning another trip to the woods soon. To have one more scout around before the full moon. If Dean was the rogue this would be when Dean would attack. Catch them when they would most likely to be off guard. So, Dean himself began to take more risk, getting closer and closer to Sam and John, trying to work out when they would be going. When they headed into the diner for lunch Dean hesitated. So far he had avoided place that would draw attention to himself rather than him just blending into the background. If Dean knew his Dad, then John would be sitting facing the door, and that he would assess everyone who entered that diner to see if they were a threat or not. Drawing in a breath Dean pulled his hood of his jumper low over his face. Keeping his head down Dean entered the diner heading straight for the counter. He felt his father’s eyes on him the whole way. Well if he was hungry before he came in, Dean was definitely not hungry now. He felt his Dad's eyes still on him as he made his standard order. When his food arrived he went about pretending to eat it. Dean forgot about the cast on his right arm and only just barely missed sending his plate of food flying. As soon as he had a chance he was removing the cast, the bone was set and as long as he didn't do anything stupid before the full moon then it would be fine. He had only left it on this long because Doc had lectured him about not taking it off early. He was also afraid that Doc wouldn't just suddenly appear and drag his arse back to the pack.

Dean’s ears prick up when he heard Sam talking. "So I was thinking Dad, that when we head out to hunt the werewolf again that I should act as bait. Then you and Bobby can pick him off. Because tracking him down last time did not work at all." Dean listened as Sam paused. Obviously waiting for Dad to yell at him, well John would’ve if he wasn't busy burning holes in to Dean's back. Dean squirmed under his gaze. Sam must have realised John wasn't listening to him. "Dad, DAD!"

"Are you okay Dad?" Dean didn’t know what John's answer was to Sam because he heard no response. However, Sam obviously received one as he continued talking. "Well if we want to look around the woods again, before it gets dark, then we need to go now."

"Let's go." John’s gruff voice echoed in Dean's ears. He heard the scrape of chairs as they stood to leave. Twisting in his chair to keep his back to them, Dean asked for the bill. He felt his Dad's eyes on him until he heard the bell of the door as they left.

Dean quickly paid, and then left the diner, just as he saw the Impala pull out of the parking lot; it was heading out of town towards the woods. He ran to the old rusty ford. Dean never thought he'd get a chance to join his Dad and Sam on a hunt again, they just wouldn't know it. As he pulled out on to the road Dean prayed that he was wrong about this rogue. He hoped that it had moved on to a new hunting ground, and that it wasn't just lying in wait somewhere for his father and brother.


	7. Chapter 7

Dean stretched his back. Two hours he had been trailing his Dad and Sam. There had been no sign of the rogue wolf and the sun was just beginning to set. Dean was downwind from John and Sam, so that he could catch the wolf scent if it tried to sneak up on them. He listen to them discuss the best place to set up a trap for the wolf. Dean couldn't help but smile at John continuingly shooting down Sam's suggestion that he should act as bait. _Good,_ thought Dean, _Dad, if you had agreed to that stupid plan of Sam’s, I would have had to head down there and set you straight._

"It's getting dark.” said John, “Time to head back to Bobby's.”

Dean listened as his Dad and Sam began the trek back to the car. He was about to follow when a gust of wind brought him an unmistakable smell. It was the strong musk of a wolf. The werewolf had not even tried to hide his scent.

Without missing a beat, as soon as the smell hit Dean's nostrils he was off at a run. He shifted while running, his clothes tore and fell from his body as muscle rippled and skin sprouted hair. As four paws hit the ground Dean raced toward his family. His right front leg twinged as it pounded into the ground. The cast crumbling from him as he ran, but the bone held. He crashed through the trees not caring if he was heard or not, he just had to get to his brother and father before the wolf did. As Dean cleared the trees the sight before him stopped his heart. A massive dark grey wolf had taken his Dad and Sam by surprise. It loomed over Sam, raised up on its hind legs with one front paw coming down for the kill.

"SAM!" Johns cry echo through Dean's head as he watched, in what seemed like slow motion, as John pushed Sam out of the way of the beast’s paw. As the wolf’s paw came down it collected John right in the chest, sending him flying through the air like he was a rag doll. He connected hard with a tree and crumpled lifelessly to the ground.

"DAD!" was all Sam could get out before the wolf turn its attention back on him. Neither Sam nor John had had a chance to draw their guns, but with the wolf now charging Sam he had little chance to draw it before the wolf was on him. However, while Dean had been watching this all happen, he had also been covering the ground between him and his family with fast large strides. So as the wolf lunged for Sam, Dean leaped at the wolf. Dean closed his teeth into the scruff of the wolf's neck; he used his body weight to force the wolf away from Sam. They were too close to Sam, when Dean had made impact he and the wolf fell in a mess of teeth and claws, he heard Sam grunt and another body hit the ground.

Dean had no time to think. As he and the wolf hit the ground, Dean rolled to his feet as quickly as he could. He was one of the best fighters in his pack, but the wolf was bigger than Dean, and the wolf hadn't spent the month recovering from injuries. They clashed again; teeth and claws were deadly weapons. Dean wasn't quick enough to deflect a blow to above his left eye. As blood pour down his face Dean managed to get his own strike to the wolf’s head. He saw his opening as the wolf head turned with the force of the blow. Dean latched on to the wolf’s neck with his teeth; he was trying to crush the wolf’s windpipe. The wolf however used his larger bulk to slam Dean into a tree repeatedly. As Dean’s back made contact with the tree, he felt the wolf ram into his rib cage. He felt the crack as at least one of his recently healed ribs gave way under the onslaught. Dean couldn't stop the cry of pain; his jaw loosened the grip it had on the wolf’s neck, which was enough for the rogue to shake him off.

Forcing himself off the ground, Dean looked up to see the wolf make its way over to Sam and John. Sam was cradling his left arm to his chest and he had a large cut on his head, but he had made his way over to John who was still out cold. Dean saw Sam’s eyes grow wide as the rogue wolf approached him; he began to rapidly search the ground. That was when Dean realised; his father and brother’s guns must have been lost in the struggle. Dean leapt on to the wolf’s back. He sank his claws into the wolf’s back and held on with his teeth. The wolf began to buck and thrashed wildly. Dean slipped to the right and that was all it took. He felt the wolf’s teeth sink into his right front leg. Neither wolf let go. They were locked in a strange embraced of teeth. Dean was vulnerable though; he had slipped from the wolf’s back, and with his front leg trapped in its mouth and his own teeth deep in the back of the wolf’s neck, it left his chest and stomach completely open to the wolf’s claws. Ripping chunks out of the wolf’s side with his free left paw was all Dean could do, to try and get the wolf to release his arm. He tried to twist his body away from the wolf, but it was in vain. Razor sharp claws tore through his chest. Dean had to release his grip on the wolf’s neck, to curl in on himself to protect his stomach and avoid been gutted. However, as soon as Dean released the rogue’s neck, the wolf roughly pulled Dean's arm above his head. His shoulder was harshly yanked from its socket, and the bone in the wolf’s mouth broke under its jaw pressure. Dean's vision went completely black, he was sure he was about to have his arm torn from his body when a gun shot rang out.

Suddenly, Dean's arm was released and he crumpled to the ground. He couldn't stay down though. Pushing himself up on to three legs, Dean dragged himself so he was in between the deep breaths of his brother and the harsh pants of the wolf. His vision still danced with black dots, but he could still hear. He waited for another attack, but none came. As his vision returned Dean could make out the wolf in front of him. His neck was a mess of blood from Dean's teeth, he had claw marks along his back and down his right side, but it was the blood dripping from his mouth that shocked Dean. The wolf was bent over panting harshly, but there was a slight gurgling sound to his breathing. As it turned to face Dean he saw the bullet hole in its chest. The bullet had just missed its heart, but it had definitely got a lung. It wouldn't kill the wolf, but God it had to hurt like a bitch. Dean spared a quick glance behind him. Sam was barely upright gun pointed at the rogue wolf. Dean could see that Sam was losing a battle to stay conscious, as his eyes slowly began to lose focus.

The rogue wolf began to advance on them, letting out a bloody snarl as he approached. Dean growled right back, his hackles rising. He snapped at the wolf as he slowly moved forward, threatening to rip its throat out if it came any closer. Another shot was fired; this time grazing the wolf’s left shoulder. That was all it took, the rogue wolf turned and ran off into the woods. Dean turned back toward Sam. If anything he had slumped further towards the ground. He stared after the retreating form of the wolf, gun still pointed in that direction. Sam glanced up at Dean, but didn't turn his gun on him. Dean didn't know if he should be angry or pleased about this. Sam just stare Dean in the eyes for awhile, as if he was trying to work something out. However, he didn't last long before he finally lost his struggle for consciousness and slumped to the ground.

Shit, thought Dean. Both his father and brother were unconscious, he couldn't change back into his human form just yet encase the wolf returned, and without hands he had no way of checking the extent of their injuries. _Yep, I'm screwed._ He started to sniff and muzzle into them to try and figure out what was wrong with each of them. Sam had obviously rolled their Dad into the recovery position. So he would have check for spine injuries before doing so. Dean shifted John shirt with nose to get a look at his back. He had some nice bruises forming along his side. So, he hadn't hit the tree spine first which was a relief. Dean continued nosing John until he found a nice lump on the side of his head. It wasn't very large and there was no bleeding, which eased some of Dean's concerns. Turning back to Sammy, Dean gently muzzled his face. The cut on his head turned out to be three claw marks, which continued into Sam's hair. Dean continuously chanted in his head that it wasn't a bite, so Sam wouldn't become a werewolf. Even though, Dean knew that Sam couldn't become a werewolf from been scratched by claws, he couldn't get over the fact that the evidenced was clearly on Sam's face. It was evidenced that Dean hadn't been fast enough to save them from the rogue’s attack. Sam’s left arm appeared to be okay. Dean couldn't find any breaks, but there were scrapes all over Sam’s palm. He must have fallen on it funny and it was probably sprained. Dean felt useless; he hadn't protected his family like he was meant to. He watched blood flow down Sam’s face, as a wolf he could do nothing to stop it.

Feeling exposed where he was, Dean got ready to moved Sam and John. He had to get them back to the Impala and then to Bobby's. Adrenaline was pumping through his veins. It was enough for Dean to ignore his injuries and carry his brother and father out of the woods. He'd managed to slide Sam on to his back, so that he was draped over Dean, his arms and leg hanging either side of him. Dean than grabbed his father collar between his teeth. It was awkward, but Dean managed to keep a good pace. He continuously scanned the woods for signs of the rogue. It was hard going on three legs, but somehow Deans damaged right leg had ended up draped on his Dad's chest. Protecting it somewhat from further damaged by been dragged along the ground. The soft leave coverage on the ground provided some padding for his Dad to be dragged on, but still as they neared the Impala Dean could hear his father begin to groan. _I have to stay unconscious a little bit longer._ Dean prayed. Once they reached the car, Dean was able to quickly lower Sam to the ground so he could transform. Screams where ripped from Dean, as his body returned to its human form. It left him shaking and naked on the ground. He couldn't rest though; grabbing the keys from John's pocket, Dean quickly opened the Impala. Getting his Dad and Sam into the car was hard with only one arm, but he managed. Sam was draped across the back seat and John was propped up in the front. Dean was about to jump in the driver seat when he realised he was completely naked. He couldn't risk his Dad or Sam waking up to find Dean naked in the front seat. His clothes were too far away in the old ford, but after searching the boot of the Impala Dean had manage to dress himself in old ripped grease covered pants. Obviously a rag John used when cleaning the car, but it was better than nothing.

Dean broke every speeding law in the book getting back to Bobby's. Making it in half the time it should have taken. Dean tried to change gears as little as possible, because letting go of the wheel to change up or down gears at high speeds with his left hand was an accident waiting to happen. However, that wasn't Dean's biggest problem. Staying conscious was. As time went by the adrenalin, which had been pulsing through Dean's body, was fading. His injuries were now making themselves known. His right arm felt like it had doubled in size, and any movement of his body sent white hot fire through his arm, threatening to blacken his vision. Breathing hurt now, to add to that every breath he took reopened the claw mark on his chest, which went from his right shoulder to his bottom left rib. Blood was flowing freely on to the driver seat of the Impala. _Dad is going to kill me for bleeding on the front seat._ Dean thought in a daze.

John had started to stir more during the drive. He kept calling Sam’s name in his half conscious state. However, as Dean turned on to Bobby's property at full speed, his Dad finally opened eyes and clearly took in his surroundings. His eyes landed on Dean and Dean looked right back at him.

"Dean?" John spoke so softly that if it wasn't for his increased hearing Dean would have missed it. Dean slammed on the breaks causing the back end to slide, the car only narrowly missed Bobby's porch. Dean was out of the car before it had completely stopped moving. He had to get away. He had to hide before his Dad or Bobby found him. He stumbled across the lawn, blood lost and injuries hampering his escape. He had to make it to the wrecks where he had a chance of hiding. Suddenly, lights lit up the yard, dazing Dean. His legs gave way and he hit the ground. He heard the porch door bang open, he could hear Bobby yelling something and a dog barking, but he could also hear his Dad calling his name. Dean try to drag himself off the ground, but none of his limbs would hold his weight anymore. As he waited for the burn of silver to enter his body darkness began to cloud Dean's eyes. He couldn't fight anymore. The darkness would not be held at bay and so it claimed Dean to its depths.


	8. Chapter 8

_What the Hell?_ Was all John could think when a huge dark grey wolf appeared as if from nowhere. It's size wasn't natural, but there wasn't a full moon either. It definitely wasn't the wolf they were hunting earlier in the month. The golden wolf had been strangely captivating, this wolf was just terrifying. John saw it rise up over his remaining son. He couldn't stand to lose another son to a wolf, he would not survive it.

"SAM!" was all the warning John could get out before he barrelled into Sam, pushing out-of-the-way of the deadly wolf's claws. The beast's paw came down with a crushing force and hit John square in the chest. As his body left the ground, John caught sight of a flash of gold racing toward the dark grey wolf. John couldn't explain why, but the sight of the golden wolf racing toward the dark grey did not scare him. He felt a spark of hope grow inside him; that help had arrived, before the world was stolen away from him by pain and the blackness of unconsciousness.

Consciousness returned slowly to John. The first time he became aware of his surroundings, he felt himself been slowly dragged. As he was pulled along it jostled his sore ribs, he let out a groan. John was comforted by a warm breath on the back of his neck; its steady breathing calmed him for some reason. He tried opening his eyes, but all he could see was a gold blur around him. Unable to stay conscious the blackness slowly claimed him again.

The next time John regained some consciousness, he struggled to work out what was real and what was in his head. He heard the purr of the Impala as it was pushed beyond sensible speeds. _Why was Sam driving so fast? I'm not that badly hurt_ , thought John. At one point he could hear humming, it was a Metallica song. John was intensely reminder of Dean, how he used humming as a distraction method when he was extremely stressed or in pain. _When had Sam picked up that habit?_ John wondered. John must have then drifted into a waking dream. He dreamt that he and Sam were back in the woods again, but this time he watched helplessly as the wolf ripped Sam apart. It happened over and over again. John tried to call out to warn Sam, but it didn't work. The wolf continued to get the drop on Sam and rip him to threads. So that nothing remained, but an unrecognisable mangled body just like Dean was.

John drifted in this state of being half awake and half asleep. The sound of the Impala engine let him know that Sam was safe, and not been eaten by wolves. That was how John stayed until Sam took a corner too fast, jolting John awake. The first thing he noticed was that they had arrived at Bobby's, the second was that it wasn't Sam driving. John stared at the man next to him, suddenly everything slipped into place. He was no longer staring at a twenty-six year old man, but sixteen year old Dean. His son, his long dead son, there he sat looking every bit like a scare sixteen year old. He was half naked with blood covering his body, but it was him. For a second John thought he was still dreaming, but it just felt so right in his gut. So he allowed himself to hope.

"Dean?" the words came out of his mouth in barely a whisper, however that was all it took to snap his boy back to reality. Dean slammed his foot on the breaks and harshly turned the wheel, causing the Impala to slide. John felt his body slam back into the passenger side door. Dean was out of the car in a flash. John was too dazed still to make any attempt to follow.

As soon as the world stopped spinning John was out of the car. He saw Dean crawling toward the junk yard, but his son body seemed to be betraying him. John didn't even realise he was calling Dean's name, until his own voice echoed in his ear. He watched helplessly as Dean's body suddenly seemed to go boneless and he slumped to the ground. Before John could run to the aid of his lost son, hands grabbed his shoulders spinning him around to face one very angry Bobby Singer with a shot-gun.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON JOHN WINCHESTER?" Bobby yelled into John's face. It was enough to snap John back to the present. _What the hell was going on?_ The last thing John remembered was a giant grey wolf about to make Sam into a chew toy.

"SAM!" John yelled as he turned back to the car. There was Sam with a nasty gash on his head, but seemingly sleeping in the back seat. Opening the door to the back, John winced as he bent down to check on Sam. God, it felt like someone had used his side as a trampoline. Putting that aside for now John checked Sam over. Other than a slightly swollen wrist and some claw marks on his head Sam seemed physically fine, but John was still worried as he tapped Sam on the cheek trying to wake him up. Sam's eyes drifted open and his hazel eyes met John's brown. There was a second of confusion in the hazel eyes before realisation hit, Sam was then up in a flash.

"The wolves, what happened?" Sam stared around in confusion as he pushed himself out of the Impala, and discovered they were at Bobby's. John however, had lost focus in his youngest as soon as he had realise he was fine. John's focus was back on his older son.

Bobby had moved closer to the unconscious Dean. His gun raised, pointed at the body, but he couldn't get closer or get a clean shot off as his Rottweiler had put himself between Bobby and Dean. The dog was standing over Dean's body growling at Bobby, which caused John to pause. _That was new._ John had never thought he would ever see that dog show any sort of aggression toward its master.

"Bobby, lower your gun." suggested John. Bobby just looked at John like he was a few screws loose, before sighing and lowering the weapon. The change was instant the dog stopped growling at Bobby, and turn to gently lick Dean's face.

"He's the golden wolf." Sam said it so bluntly that he could have told John the weather.

"What?" was the only response John had to Sam's statement.

Sam simply pointed at Dean's head. "His ear has a chunk missing from it just like the golden wolf has. It's from where I shot him." Seeing the blank stares his father and Bobby were giving him Sam continued. "The wolf we chased at the start of the month had a chunk missing from his left ear from where I shot him. We were rescued by that same wolf tonight Dad. He fought the grey wolf, at first I thought they were just fighting over who got to eat us first, but the way he kept putting himself between me and the other wolf even when he was hurt. It was like he was protecting us. And the fact that this guy is missing a chunk from his left ear, he's ripped to threads like he lost a match with a lawn mower and he's wearing Dad's old jeans. Therefore he's the golden wolf. How the hell did he end up in your yard Bobby?"

"He drove us here." John answered as he stared in shock at Dean. His son was a werewolf. They also nearly killed him a month ago. John thanked whoever was listening for preventing Sam from killing Dean back then. He couldn't have imagined the guilt that Sam would felt if he had succeeded. Guilt would have eaten his youngest up. John knew that if there was no-way to save Dean, or keep him from hurting anyone, than John himself would put a bullet in his head, but that was John's burden to carry not Sam's. However, John could not condemn his son to death now after only just finding him again. Bobby had a panic room that could safely contain a raging werewolf. Walking over to Dean John eyed the Rottweiler, but the dog didn't seem to see him as a threat, it just continued to muzzle his son. Grabbing hold of Dean's shoulders, John prepared to lift him. "Sam, grab his feet. Bobby, we are going to need to lock him in the panic room until we work out what to do with him. Can you grab the med kit and any drugs you might have that will knock out a wolf if needed?"

Bobby was staring at John as if he had just put two and two together. "It's not him John." Bobby ignored Sam confused glanced. "It can't be him, you know that right?"

"Sam, help me carry him." Sam sent confused looks between John and Bobby, but he helped John carry Dean inside. John listened, as they headed through the house to the panic room, to Bobby grumbling that he was insane for allowing John to bring a damn werewolf into his house. John couldn't help but smile ruefully when he heard Bobby say, that he hopes John got eaten first just so he realise what a massive idiot he was. John didn't really care though. For now he had Dean back and he was going to try his hardest to save his son, before he condemned him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone who has commented or left kudos, and for just reading this story.  
> Sorry for the late post. Confession time, I am severely dyslexic and the computer program I was using to help edit this story crashed. So I couldn't edit, but trying a new program so I can edit again :)


	9. Chapter 9

Sam sat on the steps leading down to Bobby's basement. In his hand was a strip of leather with a small charm hanging from it. Sam had recognised it as soon as Bobby had pulled it from the old duffel bag. He had given the same charm to his brother so many years ago. Sam ran his hands through his hair, he was just so tired. Four days had passed since Dean had come back into their life all battered and bruised. His long-lost brother now sat in the panic room, at the bottom of the stairs, ignoring all attempts to talk to him.

When they had first arrived back at Bobby's, John and Bobby had gotten straight to work patching up the then mystery man. They were arguing, but trying to hide what about from Sam. However, once satisfied the man wasn't going to die from his injuries and his bones set the best they could, they drugged him up with horse tranquillizers and turned their attention back on Sam. He had told them what he remembered from the attack and how the wolf had protected them. John had then pointed out that he believed the man had followed them for a while, explaining about the weird feeling he had had the pass month and the man in the diner. Sam was not ready for when his Dad had told him he believed that the man was Dean. John had no proof that it was Dean, but a gut feeling and the way the man had acted. Bobby had then volunteered to return to woods the next day to look for clues. He promised he would only check long the road and not venture into the woods alone.

So Bobby had left in his pick-up truck the next day and he returned a few hours later dragging an old Ford. It was a duffel bag found in the Ford that had provided John with the proof he needed. It ashamed Sam to say he hadn't believed his Dad when he first claimed it was Dean. Dean had died ten years ago; John himself had burned the body. Sam believed it was just a coincidence that this man seemed like Dean, or it was a shape shifter just messing with them. Sam believed it couldn't be Dean until they unpacked the duffel bag. A bunch of worn clothes were the first things Bobby pulled from the bag, with John and Sam peering over his shoulders. A cassette player and a bunch of classic rock tapes were next. Followed by stack of weapons; knives, guns and bullets none of which were silver. A handmade EMF reader caused Bobby to pause and John to smile. However, it was the last item removed from the bag which meant the most to Sam. It was a small pendent of a face hanging on a piece of leather. It was the pendent Sam had given to Dean; it was the pendent that his brother never took off. That little pendent was enough to give Sam hope and to cover his world in guilt.

Dean had been quiet in the panic room. He had woken up later the next day and not moved. Dean just lay on the bed facing away from the door. Sam had notice John down there just looking through the vent and talking to Dean. He was rambling on about Sam and his life since Dean's death. He had caught Bobby once warning Dean that if he did anything to put anyone at risk, Bobby himself would put a bullet in him. Sam had tried once to talk to his brother. He had started by simply asking if it was really Dean, and he had actually turned to look at Sam. However, as soon as Sam saw the chunk missing from Dean's ears guilt had hit him so bad that it actually stolen his breath for a second. Sam could not stop the apologies that had started to flow from his mouth. He couldn't have told you what he had said, but when he finally stopped tears were running down his face. Dean however just sighed and rolled back over, so his back was facing Sam and his scarred ear was hidden from Sam's view.

Sam hadn't tried to talk to Dean again. The guilt was too much. He had almost killed his brother and Dean had still tried to save him. Dean had every right to hate him. So Sam spent most of his time on the stair staring at the door to the panic room.

Bobby had a camera set up in the panic room, which played a live feed on a TV in the kitchen. John and he spent most of their time up watching the feed. Sam tried to avoid looking at the TV when he was in the kitchen, it was too painful. However, his eyes were always drawn back to the screen and his brother. It was how Sam found himself the night of the full moon. John and Bobby were watching Dean pretending to sleep.

"Why the in hell is he still trying to play mute?" Bobby growled.

John ran his hand over his face. "I don't know it could be a number of reasons, but we won't have any real idea why he's not talking to any of us until he talks."

"Well he's made no attempt to escape. So, either he knows we not just going to kill him or he's just waiting for us to kill him."

"The full moon is an hour away. So, we will find out then how much control Dean has as a wolf." John said as he got up and walked up to the TV to get a closer look. Sam turned to see what his Dad was looking at, and he could just make out the shivering that was now coursing through Dean's frame. "How did he grow up to be so stubborn? We can obviously tell he's not sleeping by the way he's shaking, but still he pretends." Dean's body suddenly went stiff and rigid, causing the three in the kitchen to hold their breath and stare at the screen. In an instant Dean was out of the bed and began pacing back and forth. "That little bastard can hear us." John said with a smirk on his lips. Dean looked directly into the camera and scowled before continuing to pace. John laughed out loud at his eldest son pouting.

They watched Dean continue to pace. John and Bobby kept on discussing their theories on Dean, and Sam just watched his brother in silence. As the hour ticked by Sam watched as his brother became more and more agitated. The shivering became more pronounce, Dean began to wipe sweat from his face. Then he suddenly froze. Sam didn't even realise he had stood up until he heard his chair hit the ground. Dean however stood rigid for a few second before he crumpled into himself as he fell to his knees. The scream that filled the house was so raw and filled with pain. More crashes filled the kitchen as the three men sprinted from the room. Bobby somehow reached the panic room door first. As Sam and John descended the stair, Sam saw Bobby check the lock before he bar the door stopping Sam and John from gaining access.

"Will you idjits think straight for a second?" Bobby said as Deans scream began to sound more like howls. "No-one is hurting Dean. He is not dying. He's undergoing the change, and this is when he is at the most dangerous. There is no-way either of you are going anywhere near him." The howls slowly became whines.

So, they all stood staring at the door of the panic room waiting for Dean's whines to die down. When they finally did John drew his gun and nodded to Bobby. Sam held his breath as the door hung open and there in place of his brother was a massive golden wolf. The beast was curl up on the ground and it didn't even twitch as they entered the room.

As Sam truly looked at his brother’s wolf form, he couldn't believe he had been so blind. The golden fur of Dean's coat was almost the same colour his hair naturally went when the sun bleach it. Dean's behaviour as a wolf alone should have made it clear to Sam it was Dean. As John said Dean's name the wolf turned his head towards them. Dean's green eyes were so clear and bright in the wolf face Sam cursed himself then. He should have seen it when he had first seen those eyes after ten years, but instead he had point a gun right at Dean's heart and fired. Only fate had saved his brother.

Sam hadn't even realised that his father had become loss for words, when Dean had turned to face them, until he cleared his throat and tried again. "Dean I am sorry I didn't find you sooner. If I had known you had survived that wolf attack, nothing would have stopped me from finding you." John cleared his throat again, lowering his gun as he did. "We're not going to kill you son. The gun just precautionary, as is the panic room. From what Sam's told me and from what I've seen, you not a blood thirsty werewolf, but if you even hint at losing control and going feral than I'll put you down. Do I make myself clear?" Dean simply nodded. "Good. Now we're going to keep you locked in here for the rest of the night until the moon set. When the moon sets we will let you out. Its small steps Dean, I am afraid you have to prove you're safe. I'll be camped out here all night, so if you need anything just bark." John smirked at his son.

Sam could only gape as he watched his brother roll his eyes as a wolf, which was a strange thing to witness. He watched as Dean settled down on the floor. John turned and ushered Sam and Bobby out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Sam tried to protest, but his father simply sat down on a chair facing the panic room and ordered Sam to bed. So, Sam followed his father orders and went to bed, but John never said he had to stay in bed. Sam grabbed a pillow and the blanket off his bed. He waited until he heard Bobby's movement quieten before he made his way down to the door away leading to the basement. The door was open just a crack. Sam heard his father talking. It took Sam a little while to realise that John was telling Dean about Sam learning to hunt. Sam could be mistaken, but he swore his Dad sounded proud of him. So, Sam drift off to sleep right there on the floor listening to his Dad's deep voice to ease his sleep.

 _Dean sat across from him at the kitchen table, shovelling dinner into his mouth. "So Sam, what are you going to get up to tonight with Dad and me off hunting? Having a wild party I hope." Dean said through mouthful of food._ Sam had had this dream so many times before. Dean was always just how he remembered him, full of life. _"Reading. I want to get head in English." Sam answered. Dean actually gaped at his brother. "We are so not related. No-one wants to get a head in English Sammy. Please tell me that you at lease going to act like a normal twelve-year-old home alone and stay up late watching TV." Sam just glared at his brother._ The part of the dream Sam hated, the part Sam wished he could change, was fast approaching. Soon Dean would call him a geek and ruffle his hair, just to annoy Sam, and then he would follow his Dad out the motel door. Waving once to Sam before disappearing off to hunt, it was the last time Sam saw Dean. _A board smile spilt Dean's face. Someone knocked on the motel door. Wait._ Sam thought. _This was not what normally happened. The knocking continued. Dean simply continued to smirk at Sam. "Sammy, are you going to get that?"_

Sam sat bolt upright. The knocking from his dream had become banging on the front door. It took Sam a second to realise where he was, but the swearing coming from the basement was enough to move Sam away from that door before he faced his father. Heading straight for the front door Sam could hear Bobby coming down the stairs, shotgun in his arms. The knocking had stopped, in fact Sam was pretty sure it had stopped as soon as they had started heading towards the door. John came up behind Sam, gun at the ready. Counting to three Sam pulled the door opened revealing a middle-aged man and a young man, probably only a few years younger than Sam himself. Sam's mind quickly assessed threat level; the young man appeared to be no threat, Sam thought the skinny kid would stand no chance in a fight. He looked like he would break if Sam looked at him the wrong way, and Sam had no idea how the kid was seeing through the mop of blond hair that seemingly covered his eyes. The middle age man however, was different. He was dressed simply enough in jeans and a shirt, and he stance was none threatening. However, there was something about him; it was almost like strength radiated from him.

"Hello, you must be John and Sam Winchester and Bobby Singer." The man spoke calmly to them. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you all. Dean has spoken very highly of all of you. I am Doctor Lewis James and this is Kit. I believe Dean is in your basement, may I speak with him?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long. Life got in the way. Okay, I'll give you all a choice. This story is complete, but if you all don't want to wait for me to post the edited chapters I can post the unedited chapter (if you find my edited chapters have mistakes, my unedited ones are much worst). The edited chapters I can't give you a time frame for how long they take me to post, but the unedited ones will only take a couple of days. I'll leave the choice up to you all. Sorry again.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So to get this out quickly for you guys I have done a partial edit :) I have finished editing, but I am happy that I've done enough that it is readable for you guys. As there was a mix response to people wanting edit verse non edited version. Still took a while to complete because this chapter is huge, but will do the same for the last couple of chapters to get it out quicker for you guys. Also, I decided I love writing wolf Dean, even just editing wolf Dean is enjoyable :)

Dean's world was moving. Whatever I drank last night, I am not touching it again. He thought. If the constant swaying didn't stop soon Dean was going to lose his stomach. He tried to grip to the blanket under him, in a vain attempt to steady him. Only his left hand would grip the blanket. His right felt heavy and uncooperative. 

The world continued to spin, and Dean felt that if he let go of the bed he would just float away. He tried to swallow, but it felt like someone had filled his mouth with sand. The need for water caused Dean to give up trying to not throw up, so he cracked his eyes open. _Wait,_ thought Dean, _this is not my tent or a motel room._ Suddenly, the events of the past flood back to him and Dean realise that there was only one place he could be, Bobby's panic room. As Dean lay there, waiting for the world settled, he didn't dare to move a muscle. However, he had to work out what his family was up too. _Thank God for wolves hearing._

Dean listened to the noises of the house. "Almost finish Sam. One more stitch." Bobby's voice was so clear to Dean, he could have been standing right next to Dean instead of in the kitchen above him. "You're damn lucky it was just a scratch, otherwise I would need another panic room. How's the arm?"

"Fine, just a bit sore." Dean held his breath as his brother talked, "Do you think it's him?"

Dean heard Bobby sigh. "I just don't see how it could be. I'll admit the way you've said he acted, and what John's saying his gut is telling him, makes it seem like it's him. But, your Dad burnt Dean's body himself I just can't overlook that. So, until it's proven otherwise, I'm saying it's not him." Bobby sighed again. “We'll wait and see if I find anything in the woods."

"Do you think he's dangerous?" Sam asked Bobby. Dean couldn't bear to listen to his brother; he could hear the hope that Sam was building in his voice. _Great, knowing that it is me is just going to make it that much harder on them when they eventually kill my werewolf arse._ Thought Dean. _Sam's going to hate whoever pulls the trigger; my death is going to tear them apart. I should have just stayed dead._

"To be honest Sam, I have no clue. We haven't seen a wolf like him before. He seems to have complete control in wolf form and is able to change when he wants. We don't know if this is some cruel trick or if he always has control. What happens when the moon causes the change, will he lose control over the wolf? We will just have to wait and see. 

“Sam, you have to remember though that if he is dangerous, if he's a risk to civilians then we’re going to have to kill him. I wish there was another way, but there is no cure. Just try not to get to attach."

There was silence upstairs. What Bobby had just said had ended the conversation. _Good at least someone is thinking straight._ As for his Dad, Dean could hear his steady breathing just outside the panic room door. Dean knew that when his Dad had woken up he had recognised him, but whether his Dad thought he was dangerous, like Bobby, or if he was thinking he could be saved, like Sam, Dean didn't know. Even though Dean had no idea if the man behind the door would kill him where he slept or not, he fell back to sleep feeling safe just knowing his Dad was watching him.

When Dean next awoke, things were clearer. Bobby's panic room was no longer spinning around him. Dean also realised that right arm was set and bandaged, and that his ribs were also bandaged. This was a problem. The full moon was fast approaching, and though Dean heals fast as a human, his healing as a wolf was rapid in comparison. As soon as Dean undergoes the change, his broken bones will shift and if they’re not straight when he's a wolf then they'll heal crooked. The change is not normal painful but with broken bones moving against each other it's excruciating, but when the bones haven't healed straight changing back to human maybe impossible. Though his family hasn't killed him yet, when they find out that he can't change back to human, how long will they keep him around? What are the other options? They keep him as a pet? Dean couldn't see that happening. _So, why make it harder on them._ Thought Dean. 

So, when his family came to talk to him, Dean just remained silent or pretended to sleep. John was the easiest, once he realised Dean wasn't talking. He seemed happy to just talk. Telling Dean about Sam growing up, and Dean was comfortable just lying there, listening to his Dad talk. Bobby seemed to be the only one who had any brains. He let Dean know exactly what would happen if he stepped out of line. Dean was thankful for Bobby, he knew that the old man was just doing what was necessary to keep his family safe, and until Dean was proven safe he would remain locked in the panic room. Sam, however, was the most difficult. As soon as his brother started talking, Dean had to rollover and look at him. As his brother apologised to Dean, Dean couldn't believe what he was hearing. Of course, Sam should have shot him. He was some unknown wolf and his brother at the time had no idea that there were werewolves out there like Dean. As tears began to roll down his brother's face, Dean realised what was causing Sam distress. It was his ear, that little half-moon circle cut out of his ear from the bullet. He had begun to grow his hair to try to hide it, but that had yet to cover the scar. It was now acting as a reminder to Sam that he had almost killed his brother. So, Dean turned his back on his brother, to hide his ear from his sight. He felt bad about turning away from Sam, but he had to do it. Sam didn't talk to him again, but Dean could work out where he was in the house.

A few hours before the full moon was due to rise Dean felt the tingling begin. Most werewolves will just change before the moon rises to avoid being forced into the change. Also to rid themselves of the feeling they get before the moon rises. To Dean it started off as just tingling, but he knew it would progress to feeling like bugs were crawling under his skin. Dean knew that this change was going to hurt, so he was going to put it off until he couldn't fight it anymore. There was even a part of his brain that believes maybe if he tried hard enough he could fight the change completely. So, he laid there listening to John and Bobby talk in the kitchen. Soon he body began to shake. He tried to suppress the shiver, which had begun to courses up his spine.

"How did he grow up to be so stubborn? We can obviously tell he's not sleeping by the way he's shaking, but still he pretends." He heard his Dad says. _Shit, how long have they known I was pretending for?_ Thought Dean. _Well, no reason to keep up the game._ Dean had to move; the itching was so intense in his body. He jumped out of bed and began pacing the room. "That little bastard can hear us." His father said. _Goddamn it._ He wasn't meant to give away his enhanced hearing. _Stupid camera's recording everything._ Thought Dean, scowling at the camera. He heard his Dad laughing upstairs. 

When the moon finally crest the horizon Dean froze as soon as began to enter the night sky. For a second he tried to stop it. He tried to stop his body from changing, but the first ripple of his muscle sent him to his knees in pain as his broken bones shifted. Dean could hear screaming and he knew it was coming from him, but he couldn't stop it. As muscle and skin stretched, and his bones began to elongate and change. White-hot pain coursed through him. He felt the broken bones in his right arm slide against one another as the bandages tore away. The bandages around his ribs ripped free as his chest expanded and became more brawl like. His broken ribs slipped out place, broken shards of bones grinding against each other. It felt like the change lasted for hours and not seconds.

"Dean?" His father’s voice snapped Dean back to reality. He had to not let on how much pain he was in. So, he listened to his father, nodded when he had to and he even managed an eye roll at his Dad's joke about barking when he needed something. Breathing was painful and a combination of not been able to get enough air into his lungs and only been able to stand on three legs was enough to force Dean to the ground. Thankful, John seemed to pick up on Dean's discomfort, and so he ushered Sam and Bobby from the room. John didn't leave him though. He sat just outside the door, talking to Dean, easing his pain. A bit later he smelt Sam at the top of the stairs and Dean smirked to himself, of course Sam would ignore their Dad's orders. Soon, Sam breathing even out and not long after John voice drifted off as he too fell asleep.

Dean lay there cursing himself. His ribs and arm no longer hurt, but they still were uncomfortable. Breathing just didn't feel right, it was stiff, and if Dean looked at his side he could see a definite lump. His front leg however, was on an awkward angle. Dean was pretty sure he could walk on it now, but it definitely hadn't healed straight. _Fucking fantastic, I'm going to be stuck as a wolf._ Thought Dean.

Dean didn't sleep. He laid on the floor of the panic room listen to the sounds of his brother and Dad sleeping. God, he had missed those sounds. The moon inched its way closer to the horizon. It was an hour before the moon was to set that Dean heard them. It was long drawn out howl. Far enough away that Dean wasn't worried about it waking any of his family. He heard the answering howl and he instantly recognised who they belong to. It was Doc and Kit, they had tracked Dean down and where in the process of checking the boundaries. The howls were letting each other know everything was safe. Soon Dean heard closer rumbles and whines; they were too low and high in range for a human to hear, but not for a wolf. This was Kit's and Doc's away of checking on Dean. They were asking if he needed rescuing. Dean answered ‘no’ in his own deep rumbling growl. However, he knew they wouldn't leave him here. He could smell the worry pouring off them.

As the moon finally left night sky, Dean felt the second it dipped below the horizon. He smelt Kit and Doc transform back into humans. Their scent’s changing from the heady wolf musk to the subtler aromas of their human forms. Dean tried to change back to his human form, but as his muscles stretched and pulled against his fused bones and those bones refused to twist and stretch into their original form Dean growled in pain. The whole process left him still a wolf and panting into the panic room floor.

"Hey Dean, are you still a wolf down there?" Kit's voice drifted down to Dean in the panic room. Dean whine as an answer.

"You transformed with broken bones didn't you?" Doc sounded tired. "And let me guess, you didn't think of letting your family know that if you transformed during the full moon with broken bones than your bones would set wrong before you had a chance to change back? Or, are they just pig-headed hunters that are too blind to see that you are as dangerous to them as puppy?" Dean felt the growl building at hearing Doc talking about his family like that. Dean preferred they treat him like the werewolf. He was not a puppy. "Dean, drop it, okay. I'm not angry with your family, because I am almost 100 percent certain that you didn't let them in on that piece of information. I think it's time we wake up your family, so you and me Dean can have a little talk."

 _Oh god,_ thought Dean. _This is not going to be good._ One thing Dean always found about Doc was that he never beat around the bush. He was direct and to the point, he also never backs down from a fight especially if it was about the safety or health of a member of his pack. This force that was Doctor Lewis James was about to meet the unmovable object that was John Winchester.

Dean winced when he started to hear Doc and Kit banging on the front door. _Yeah, that the right way to go to get my family's trust._ Dean could only shake his head as in disbelief. John woke up first, quickly opening the panic room door to check on Dean. Once he saw that Dean was safe and still a wolf, John took off with gun at the ready. Dean could hear Sam and Bobby also heading towards the door. He could imagine his family counting down to three with their fingers before pulling the door open. There was no gunfire so that's a plus.

"You must be John and Sam Winchester and Bobby Singer." Doc's voice was clear and sharp, Dean smirked he was using his alpha voice. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you all. Dean has spoken very highly of all of you. I am Doctor Lewis James, and this is Kit. I believe Dean is in your basement, may I speak with him?"

Dean heard three guns be cocked, and he knew they were pointing directly at Doc and Kit. "So knew that wouldn't work." Dean would have laughed if he could as he imagined the look his family were giving Kit after that statement.

"Ok fine, it was worth a try though." Doc sounded as if everything was normal and not at all as you would expect someone with at least three guns pointed at them. "Let me guess Dean is still in his wolf form downstairs, even though the moon has left the sky. He probably hasn't been very talkative either. Well, I'm here to let you know that if you don't let Kit and I see him, Dean will most likely remain as a wolf for the rest of his life. Which would you prefer a pet wolf or your son back?" "How do you know Dean?" John asked.

"How do you know Dean?" John asked.

"Long story short, we hunt with your son." _That the very short version Doc,_ Dean shook his head at Doc's answer. "The sooner you let us see Dean, the sooner we can help him and then we can talk as much as you like. You can even keep those guns pointed at us, if that makes you feel better."

There was a pause, and Dean held his breath. "Fine, but if either of you even look at anyone sideways I'll shoot you dead." Dean was surprised John was even letting them into the house. He heard movement through the house as Doc and Kit were led toward the panic room.

As they came down the stairs, Dean tried to slow his breathing. He knew what was coming when that door open, and he wasn't going to like it. Bobby pushed the door open and waved Kit and Doc through with his shotgun. As soon as Doc saw Dean, Dean knew he was angry with him. Doc had the same look he always had whenever Dean did something stupid.

"Hey Dean, looking big and scary as always." Kit greeted Dean with a smirk as Dean just looked up at him from the floor. The kid really did love pushing his buttons.

"Mr Winchester, how long has Dean just been lying like this?" Doc had switched to into Doctor mode.

"Since he transformed."

"I'm guessing it wasn't a nice easy transformation. Did have any injuries that you know of before he changed?" Doc question John, but he squatted in front of Dean looking him over. Dean watched as Doc's eyes took in his mangled right front leg and how tight his breathing was. Doc knew exactly which bones Dean had broken; his question to John was a test for the man.

"Yes, he had a broken right arm and a few broken ribs. We patched him up when he arrived," John paused. "Was that why the change seemed so painful for Dean, and why he hasn't changed back?"

Doc actually turned to look at John. _Wow, Dad impressed Doc._ Thought Dean.

"The change is normally not painful. It is sometimes uncomfortable, but it's only ever painful if something is wrong. Dean here has one of the fastest changes I've ever seen. He's like fluid." Doc turned his attention back to Dean. "The real problem with wolves transforming with broken bones is that those bones can shift during the transformation. Then the rapid healing of the wolf form can set these bones wrong, which in some cases prevent the wolves from changing back. However, there is a chance that the bones can be broken and reset allowing the wolf to transform normally if it is done soon enough. Mr Winchester with Dean's permission I would like to try to reset his bones, if that is okay with you?"

"You are asking if I mind if you break my son's bones on the chance that it might allow him to change back? Hell yes I mind, but it's not up to me. Dean, you know about this stuff, it's your choice."

Dean could only nod; he couldn't believe the weird twilight zone he had found himself him. His hunter family were in the same room with werewolf family and they weren't killing each other.

"This is not going to be nice for Dean, but please no matter what stay back. I would have you locked behind that door." John shook his head no to Doc's suggestion. "Fine, but you are not to approach. Dean will be in pain and not thinking straight, I would hate it if Dean was to lash out and one of you getting hurt. Kit is here to make sure that doesn't happen."

"Time to get up close and personal Dean." Kit joked to Dean as he places himself behind him. "I've got to hold you down, okay?" Dean just nodded. He knew this was the only way, so he didn't hurt anyone. Kit wrapped his legs around Dean's waist and his arms around his neck, one arm snaked its way around Dean's muzzle holding it shut. Dean tried to keep breathing evenly as Doc began to feel out his broken bones.

"Are you ready Dean? I am sorry about this." That was all the warning Doc gave before he grabbed Dean's front right leg and twisted it. The crack of the bone breaking echoed throughout the room, but Dean at first felt no pain just white-hot flash of heat and shock. He saw his family shifted to come to his aid, guns slowly rising. "Stay back!" Doc ordered.

As pain began to flow from Dean's arm Doc placed his hands over Dean's ribs, pain erupted in his ribs and Dean just had to get away from it. He slammed his body back into Kit; he couldn't think he just had to get away from the hands that were hurting him. Strong hands held his jaw shut so he lashed out with his legs. Bucking his body’s trying to dislodge whoever was preventing his escape.

"Kit, hold him still. Dean, Dean! You have to calm down." Doc's voice broke through his haze of pain. He then noticed that he was looking directly at the man, whose eyes were darting from Deans and then to his family. When Dean glanced back at them and saw the fear on their faces, he intensely stilled. "Good Dean, good. Just a bit longer have to straighten the bones now."

As Doc got to work straightening his bones, Dean tried to not react. Doc had gotten tape from somewhere, and he was taping up Dean's ribs, so they healed straight. Dean’s breaths were short and sharp, but he didn't buck and fight again until Doc started to work on his front leg. However, as soon as his fight would start again. He would look toward his family, and the need to protect them not only from himself, but also from knowing the pain he was in, stilled him.

Doc applied the last of the tape to Dean's leg. Kit loosened his grip on Dean and when Dean didn't make any attempt to move he released him entirely. "Done, hopefully in an hour or, so Dean will be able to transform normally again." Doc spoke as he pushed himself off the ground and turned to face Dean's family.

"Good," John answered with a gun pointed directly at Doc. "Now, how about you tell us who exactly you are, and how you know my son?"


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again edit not complete, partial edit. Enjoy :)

Sam stood in a state of shock. They had just allowed two absolute strangers into Bobby's house, then down to see Dean. They had then just allowed them to break Dean's bones, but Dean had agreed to that so that must count for something. Both men were obviously not humans. The younger one, Kit, had not only hung on while his brother had bucked wildly, but he had prevented Dean from moving from his place on the floor. The Doctor had broken Dean's bones with only his hands. They definitely knew Dean, by the way they acted, Kit and Dean seemed to have an easy joking relationship that Sam envied. Even now Kit was sitting cross-legged next to Dean, completely at ease like hunters with guns hadn't surrounded him; he sat there like he belonged there.

John dragging a chair into the panic room snaps Sam back to what was going on around him. Doctor Lewis James had answered John about who he was with, "Well we might as well get comfortable." He proceeded to sit down on Dean's bed. John place the chair directly in front of the Doctor and Bobby remained leaning against the doorframe of the panic room. Sam remained where he was. He felt awkward standing in the room. Glancing around the room again, Sam noticed Kit was staring at him. As soon as they made eye contact, Kit flashed him a smile. "Hey Sam, do you want to sit down here with me and Dean? Dean's as harmless as a puppy right now." Dean glared at Kit who just continued smirking at Sam. It took Sam; a moment before he settled down next to Dean, but Sam kept his distance from Dean unlike Kit, who leaned into him.

"Ok, who or should I say what are you?" John began questioning Doctor Lewis James.

"Well, I think you already have an idea what we are." The Doctor replied. "We are werewolves, but not like the ones you know. As hunters you only ever really come in contact with the subconscious werewolves. Those are the poor souls who never gain any control over when they change and when the full moon forces the change on them they become like wild animals. Most of them have no clue they are werewolves. Whereas wolves like Dean, Kit and I have control over our wolves and we can change when we like outside the full moon. Then there are the wolves, like the one you are hunting, that can change when they like but are either just evil or insane. The pack that Dean, Kit, and I belong to, hunt out of control werewolves."

As Doctor Lewis James spoke, Dean rested his head next to Sam's leg. Sam sat rigid not daring to touch his brother, but so dearly wanted to do so. "Well, that cleared some things up, but how did Dean end up in your pack? And, whose body did I burn ten years ago?" John asked.

"Ten years ago the pack, and I were hunting a subconscious werewolf. Sadly, we weren't quick enough, when we found the wolf he was tearing into Dean's body." The Doctor looked truly apologetic as he told the older Winchester this. Sam felt his breathing picking up as the Doctor spoke about the werewolf attack on Dean. "The wolf had torn Dean to shreds, and truthfully I thought he was dead when we arrived." Sam knew that if his breathing got any faster he was going to start hyperventilating. He then felt a nudge to his elbow. After sitting down next to Dean, Sam had clasped his hands in his lap. Now, as Sam looked to find the source of the nudging he noticed it was Dean trying to dislodge Sam's hands from the death grip he had in his lap. Dean kept nudging Sam arm until he allowed his arm to fall over his brother’s neck.

"He'd be happier if you patted him Sam. Deans like a big puppy he loves a scratch behind the ear." Dean kicked Kit with a back leg as the man spoke. Kit just smirked and went back to listening to the Doctor.

"The pack and I dispatched the werewolf. It wasn't an easy fight, and as he turned back to his human form he was unrecognisable. Before we left, we check on Dean to make sure that he was dead. Dean’s torso was so torn up. I was surprised he still had blood to pump from the wounds. His arms were torn up from obviously fighting back. On further examination, we found a gun filled with silver and a knife embedded in the dead wolf shoulder. It was clear that Dean was a hunter and that he and the wolf had fought, we later learned from Dean that the wolf had got the drop on him and knock him flying. He lost his gun and had to fight with just his knife."

Sam began to fist his hand through Dean's fur just to confirm that his brother had survived the attack. He noticed his Dad had turn to look at Dean with his hand over his mouth. The Doctor continued talking. "Dean was barely breathing, but there was the smallest of chances that he could survive. We had to act fast. The moon hadn't yet set, so we sent our fastest back to get some help from some humans that live with our pack. The other wolves stay on the lookout for any more hunters and I did my best as a wolf to stop the bleeding. It only took a few minutes for the wolf to return with help. I am afraid I then made a decision I am not proud about. If Dean survived, he was going to become a werewolf, whether he became one we would have to kill or one that had control was unknown. Either way, he would need our help if he changed, also all the hunters we had ever met would have killed Dean on sight once they realised he would become a werewolf. So, we removed the shredded remains of Dean's clothing and placed them on the other boy's body that was remarkably, a similar age and build as Dean. We made his injuries match the tear patterns in Dean clothing and disguised the knife wound. Then we took Dean away, to try to save him.

"The fact that Dean was becoming a werewolf, was all that saved him from his wounds. The werewolf he was becoming allowed his body to heal faster than any human. Once Dean was better, I had every intention of returning your son to you, John; however, Dean refused. He said it was better for everyone if you believed he was dead. So, you wouldn't have to kill him. I couldn't go against Dean's wishes. So, I am sorry for the pain my action caused to you and your family." John nodded for the Doctor to continue. 

"Dean quickly became one of our best fighters, and he earned his right to not only take part in but lead hunts. He introduced us to hunting other supernatural creatures that were harming humans. In camp, he helped to raise the young ones, like Kit over there. A part from been stupid and pig-headed sometime, your son has been a gift to my pack."

Sam had begun to unintentionally stroke his finger through his brother’s hair while the Doctor was talking. Sam didn't know how to react to the story. He had just found out that Dean had been a chew toy for a werewolf, also that the werewolves that saved his brother faked his death, and Dean had decided not to come back to John and him.

"To say I am happy with your story would be a lie." John spoke, "I am angry, but I understand why you made that decision and why Dean made his. So far, you have both proven that you are not a threat to us, and Dean trusts you, so for now Doctor Lewis James, you and Kit have my trust. Now, tell me everything you know about the different types of werewolves."

Sam was only half paying attention to the conversation John, Bobby and Doctor Lewis James were having. So, Dean had chosen not to return to them when he was young because he had thought their Dad would have killed him. It was probably the same reason Dean hasn't been talking now. Dean must think that they'll have to kill him eventually, so why make it harder on everyone by talking. Sam just shook his head at his brother, as if Dean thought they could kill him. Yes, Sam could see his Dad doing so, but after seeing how much Dean's death had affected their Dad, he couldn't see him been willing to kill Dean again just for being a wolf.

An hour passed since Dean had had his bones reset. Sam was lost in thought, and he continually ran his hand through Dean's fur loving the feeling of the soft hairs between his fingers. It wasn't until Dean stretched under Sam's hand that he even realised he had patted Dean for almost an hour. Sam looks down at Dean, who was flexing his front right paw like a cat. He looked up at Kit, who was grinning at Sam and Dean like it was Christmas morning. "I take my earlier comment back about Dean being a puppy Sam." Dean shot Kit daggers as he began talking. "When you patting him Sam, he's like a harmless little kitten." As soon the words were out of Kit's mouth, the boy was up and sprinting out of the panic room with Dean hot on his tail. Lucky Bobby had moved from the doorway or he would have been bowled over by the two.

"Well, Dean seems to feel better." The Doctor noted. Before they all got up and followed after Dean and Kit, they found the pair out the front of Bobby's house, Kit trying to dodge Dean, who had him trapped against one of the old wrecks. Bobby's Rottweiler was bouncing around the pair barking. His tail undecided whether it should wag around in a circle or side to side. "Bloody useless guard dog," Bobby said, but he was smiling his head off just watching the group playing. Dean jumped to tackle Kit, but the bandages around Dean restricted his movement and allowed Kit to escape. Dean let out a huff, which Sam could almost hear the swear word behind it. In an instant Dean went from been a wolf to a very naked human. Sam couldn't believe his eyes Dean's body seemed to ripple, and his fur melted away to skin. The bandages fell from his body, and Dean was about to take off after Kit when John voice boomed across the yard. "For God sake, Dean put some clothes on."

Dean looked a bit like a deer in headlights staring at his family, who he had obviously forgotten about. He covered himself with some of the loose bandages before he took off back into the house to find clothes, mumbling sorry as he streaked past Sam, John and Bobby. Sam noticed Kit was almost rolling on the ground laughing, hanging on to a tree for support as he bent over laughing. Soon, they were all laughing, releasing all the tension and worry that had built around Dean.

"If you're all done laughing at me, shouldn't we get down to killing that son of a bitch of a rogue werewolf?" Dean said from the doorway as he finished pulling a t-shirt over his head.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Massive thank you to everyone reading, especially those of you who take the time to comment and leave kudos, it's a massive boost to see that people actually like my little story. It's very hard for me to pick up my own mistake (my brain tends to autocorrect my mistake for me) and spell check and proof reading software also seems to struggle to find my mistakes. So, if you notice any errors please let me know, and I'll will fix them. Thank you again :)

Sucking in a deep breath, Dean readied himself to face his family and friends. He listened to them laugh together. Yes, it was at his cost, but it made him happy that his family had seemed too accepted Doc and Kit. Fixing a smile on his face, Dean stepped back outside. "If you're all done laughing at me, shouldn't we get down to killing that son of a bitch of a rogue werewolf?"

Before anyone could answer Dean, he became engulfed in a bear hug from his father. John gripped him like Dean would disappear if he didn't. After one final pat on the back John released him, and Dean could breathe once again. "It's good to have you back son." John said. 

As John step back, Bobby stepped in and hugged Dean too. "No hard feeling Dean? But it is good to hear your voice." Dean knew he must look like a stunned mullet at John and Bobby's actions. Sam was hesitant, but when Dean looked at Sam he suddenly found his arms full with his giant younger brother. 

"Are you okay Dean? How do you feel?" Sam rambled as he held Dean away from him to get a look at him.

"Chill Sammy, I'm fine. All healed and ready to go. A perk of being a werewolf." Dean was finding it hard to believe his family's reaction, but if they were going to act like everything was normal then he was going to play along.

"Well, I guess we have to work out where this grey wolf is hiding out." said John.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he's still hunting in those woods." Doc told the hunters. "I believe the reason he didn't follow the normal pattern and move to a new hunting ground is because he's started hunting the three of you. Now add Dean to that mix, and he wouldn't be able to turn down the challenge. Hunting down a group of hunters and a wolf that seem to fight for them, he'll just think it's fun."

"Are you asking us to become bait?" John questioned Doc. Dean was nervous at that moment. He knew Doc would not put his family in harm's way that they would be protected at all times, but they didn't know that.

"I'm asking you to come with us and give your scent for the rogue to follow. You won't be bait, just your smell. I and a few others will even stay with the three of you to make sure the rogue gets nowhere near you while the other wolves take him down." Dean noticed that Doc didn't mention that he would be one of the wolves fighting the rogue, but they didn't need to know that until necessary.

John seemed to think about it for a while before looking toward Bobby and receiving a nod. "Okay we're in."

* * * 

Crisp forest air filled Dean's lungs. He was itching to change and run through the woods on the hunt. He could be like a ghost when he wanted, slipping silently through the trees searching for the bastard rogue werewolf.

Kit had already changed, and he was now rolling in the mud pile that they had created earlier. It was filled with animals scat, some animal carcasses and some other things that you really wouldn't want to roll in, but it would disguise his scent.

Dean couldn't change yet. He was waiting for his family to return. They were off with Doc leaving their scent in the area they wanted the wolf to head too. From the top of the hill, where he was standing, Dean could make out the quad-bikes as his family started heading back to him. Breathing deep Dean tried to catch their scent but was unable to pick up on the gun oil, leather, grease and old book smell Dean had begun to associate with all three of them.

As they drew near Dean could feel the nervous energy beginning to build in him. Even through his family had seemed to have accepted him, he couldn't help but worry that they would realise they were better off before they found out he was alive and dumped him. These thoughts faded to the background when the quad-bike came to a stop and his Dad, Sam and Bobby all got off the bike laughing. Dean rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously as they climbed off and headed toward him.

"Dean did you seriously pretend to be some old women dog?" John said shaking as he tried to stop laughing.

"I now get why Kit was making all the jokes about you been a just a big puppy dog." Sam joined in smiling from ear to ear.

"Why in God's name did you think that was a good idea ya idjit?" Bobby finished up the trio laughing at Dean. Doc remained seated on the quad-bike looking smug at having told one of Dean's most embarrassing stories.

"Look I was seventeen, on one of my first hunts as a wolf, and I got all turned around following a scent, ended up in some old bird's yard. She was half blind and assumed I was a stray dog. I couldn't leave. I'd been tracking a werewolf scent, so I stay to make sure she was okay." It was weird how easy Dean found it talk to them.

"When I finally tracked Dean down, I had to pretend I was his owner to get him to leave. She told me all about how Dean enjoyed the casserole she had given him. She even insisted I take some with me to give to him later, and then she gave Dean a kiss on top of his furry head to say goodbye. If I hadn't of shown up, Dean would still be her little Fluffy." Sam, John and Bobby roared with laughter while Dean just glared at Doc.

"Whatever, don't we have a wolf to hunt?" Dean tried to distract the conversation away from him.

"Dean's right," Doc said, "The rogue has stayed in the area because you showed up. Hunters would be a bigger challenge for him. We've spread wolves across the woods; if they find the rogue before he finds your scent trail then they'll draw him into the centre of the wolf pack. Either way if all goes to plan we will hopefully get rid of the rogue. John, Bobby and Sam, you three are going to stay here with me, and Kit is going to set-up a boundary around us. So, you will be completely safe from the wolf."

"What about Dean?" John asked. "I don't want him anywhere near that werewolf. It's already nearly killed him once." Dean felt his cheeks burning; he would never have guessed in a million years that the great John Winchester would want to keep his werewolf son safe.

"Well, the rogue already knows that you have Dean protecting you, so he is the only wolf that can run without hiding his scent. In fact, Dean's presence will hopefully explain to the rogue any other signs he finds of the other wolves. It may even be enough so that he doesn't even realise he is out numbered before it is too late. We have been hunting this wolf for too long, he's smart but his ego is his downfall. With Dean down there, he won't be able to resist taking him on again. Dean surprised him last time, in his head he'll think now that Dean's lost the element of surprise he'll win. However, last time Dean was injured, he's not now. Don't sell your son short, John, just from how he fought when injured; he is probably the best fighter in my whole pack."

Dean was glad Doc was the one telling his family he had to go fight the rogue. There was no way he was going to be stopped from fighting the wolf. He couldn't read the look on John's face, but when he was suddenly struggling for breath in a bone-crushing hug from his Dad, he knew he'd be allowed to go hunting.

"If you let that wolf harm one hair on your head Dean I'll kick your arse." John said in his ear as he hugged him.

As soon John let him go, Bobby pulled him in for a hug. "If you get yourself killed Dean, I'll personally bring you back just so John can kick your arse." He said with a smirk.

Sam looked awkward as he approached Dean, but Dean beat him to it, wrapping arms around Sam in his own bone-crushing hug.

"Ok then I'll just go and get change into something furrier." Dean grinned as he headed behind a tree to strip naked to transform.

It felt good transforming with no pain. This is what he loved about being a wolf, the forest. He could smell the fresh, green air, the dirt on the ground, and the breeze brought scent from further away given him glimpses of trails that he would love to follow. His eyes seemed to be able to focus on any movement around him almost on their own. The birds flying from branch to branch above him, to the smallest insect dancing around him on the ground could have held him captivated for hours, but not when there was hunting to be done. Dean slipped through the trees giving his family one more glance over, before making sure Doc and Kit were in place. Stretching out, feeling his muscles shift and his joints pop, Dean felt strong and he was itching to run. No longer denying his needs Dean took off as fast as he could. Paws eating up the dirt, Dean felt free. He could feel the smile growing, and all he could think was. _Come and get me you son of a bitch._


	13. Chapter 13

Sam watched as his brother appeared from behind the tree as a huge golden wolf. He didn't think he'd ever get over the fact that his brother was a wolf. However, when the wolf smirked at John, Bobby and him, Sam saw his brother.

As Dean took off running through the woods, Sam wondered how a creature as big as his brother could move so silently. He could see his brother's paws pounding the ground, but he could barely hear the crumple of leaves under his feet.

Doctor Lewis James or Doc, which Dean had insisted they called him, approached his Dad and Bobby carrying three pairs of binoculars.

"We should have a good view from here." Doc said as he handed them all binoculars. Sam noticed that Doc didn't have a pair for himself. "I assure you all that Dean will be fine." He pointed off into the woods. They were situated on top of a hill that overlooked the valley where they had walked through earlier that day. Sam knew that the valley lead to the fake camp they had set up, which hopefully would trick the rogue wolf into thinking they were camping there.

Looking through the binocular toward where Doc had point Sam saw nothing at first; however, he then saw what he first assumed was a just a shadow move. From shadowy depth a large black wolf appeared. The wolf was low to the ground smelling the air around him. He moved across the ground crouched low, using the bushes and trees as covered.

"That is Vincent he has the left flank of the valley." Doc explained.

Seeing the other wolves helping protected his brother allowed Sam to breathe. His chest loosened, he hadn't even realised he'd been holding tension there. Turning his attention back to Dean, Sam watched his brother run, he'd never really just watched Dean being a wolf. Yes, he had seen Dean in his wolf form before, and he had even seen him fight as a wolf, but he never had just watched him. Dean's movements were fluid. He easily weaved through the trees losing none of his speed as he did. Suddenly, a bird whistle pierced the air. Sam saw Dean's ears twitch in the direction it came from, but he didn't change his direction or pace.

"He took the bait." Doc said. Following his line of sight Sam just glimpsed a man in his forties quickly change back into his wolf form and disappearing into the darkness. His wolf was a lighter shade of black compared to the wolf named Vincent, but this meant he was one of the other wolves flanking Dean. 

Quickly, Sam scanned the woods surrounding the werewolf. A flash of grey caught his eye. Focusing in on the huge form of the grey rogue wolf came into view. Sam had forgotten how big the rogue was; he felt his chest's tightening again with worried. He swore he was going to have a heart attack.

The rogue had either not noticed or didn't care that there were other wolves around. His focus was on Dean, and he was tearing through the forest to get to him. Dean, however, continued as if he didn't even realise he was there, but Sam could see his brother's ears were still flicking toward the oncoming rogue. Sam held his breath as he watched the rogue wolf charge Dean. He leapt at his brother, paw extended to dig into Dean's back. 

However, just before the rogue would have connected with Dean, Sam watched Dean dropped and roll. Using his own momentum against him, Dean's roll caused the rogue wolf to crash hard into the dirt in front of Dean. As the rogue ate dirt, Dean was back on his feet and making his own charge. Sam imagined he could hear the thud as Dean's front paws connected with the wolf flank. Blood bloomed under Dean's claws. Dean used the rogue's own movements, as he tried to buck him off, to tear deeper gashes into the wolf's side.

They parted as quickly as they came together, Dean jumping off the wolf as he got his feet under him to avoid being thrown. They snarled at each other, teeth bared, hackles raised, and ears flatten to their heads. Sam felt a shiver run down his spine as he watched Dean. His brother was frightening. Sam didn't know who broke the staring match and signal to restart the fight. The pair seemed to go from snarling to being connected by teeth and claws in a split second. Sam couldn't help, but start to white knuckle the binocular. He only felt himself relaxing his grip when his Dad placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Dean's handling himself in this fight Sam." At his father's words, Sam flashed his eyes toward him. None of the three next to Sam seemed the least bit worried for Dean. "He's playing with the rogue Sam; the rogue just doesn't know it yet."

Turning back to watch the fight, Sam realised they were right. The rogue could not get a good hold on his brother. Every blow he sent at Dean, either glanced off or he managed to dodge them. Dean allowed a few to hit their target, but they never had the rogue full force behind them. Dean's claws were hitting their target with deadly precision.Rivers of blood were flowing down the rogue. Sam could see that Dean was aiming for the killing blow and trying to latch on to the rogue wolf throat. However, the rogue was a skilled fighter and was keeping his vulnerable stomach and throat away from Dean's claws and teeth.

When it became clear to the rogue that this was not a fight he was going to win, Sam noticed that he began trying to escape. Sam could see that he had lost the chance for escape, four shadowy wolves were emerging from the darkness. As they made their present known, the rogue's head began to dart back and fro, not sure which approaching wolf to watch. With the rogue distracted, Dean took his chance and latched on to his neck, teeth encircling up to the jaw. The four other wolves struck as soon as Dean's teeth sank in. They all latched on to the rogue, holding him down. Sam could almost hear the crunch of bone and the tear of flesh and tendon as Dean twisted and pulled his head back. It was scary how easily Dean tore not only the rogue's throat, but most of his lower jaw from the rogue's body. Dean spat the lump of flesh and bone on to the ground. The rogue wolf swayed for a moment as his heart betrayed him by pumping his life blood on to the ground at his feet.

Sam watched in morbid horror the scene played out before him. He just had seen the true werewolf side of his brother. His brother was a killer; he hadn't even flinch as he tore the rogue's throat out. As the rogue's body crumpled to ground lifeless Dean just smirked at the bloody mess. Sam, for the first time since learning his brother was a werewolf, feared him.

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing of Eric Kripke's Supernatural, I'm just trying it on for size for a while


End file.
